July 13, 2015

What a shocking surprise! Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States Of America, read the Quran.

For those who don’t know, the Quran is the holy book of the Muslims.

One wonders what TJ learned and took away from the Quran.

No doubt he was a brilliant man. He drafted the declaration of independence in seventeen days. Perhaps separation of church and state was one idea he got from reading the Quran. On July 4, the wording of the Declaration of Independence composed by Jefferson was finalized and signed by members of Congress.

Now, if the present members of Congress with their low level of intelligence were to follow TJ’s example and get a copy of the Quran and read it, they might learn a few things about Islam and Muslims. However, one has little hope that members of the present Congress can improve their minds.

Anyway, if Thomas Jefferson can read the Quran and learn from it, then all these nincompoops masquerading as intellectuals and law-makers can read it as well.

July 8, 2015

American soil – if it could speak – would tell tales of genocide and slavery.

The roots of genocide and slavery are prejudice, racism, hate, discrimination, exploitation, oppression, and ultimately apartheid. These are practices of people suffering from an inferiority complex.

This very white country claims to be a moral Christian nation. What branch of Christianity these murderers and slave owners subscribe to is a mystery? Their Christian practices are certainly different from the Bible or what Jesus preached.

Perhaps the pilgrims, the European killers and the slave owners – now known as white supremacists – wrote their own bible which makes their current practices moral and legal.

Prejudice, racism, hate, discrimination, exploitation, oppression, and apartheid are so ingrained in the white American psyche that it seems an impossible task to ever make equality a reality in these states.

Why aren’t white politicians and people at all levels of government out in the streets screaming for changes in this country? Why aren’t white church leaders doing the same? Why does law enforcement have black and white laws? Why do they entrap innocent Muslim men?

The answer is simple. Congress and the Courts enjoy the status quo. In order to maintain the status quo prejudice, racism, hate, discrimination, exploitation, oppression, and apartheid must remain in place.

America is a white country built on genocide and slavery, and it will be a long time before white genociders and slave owners accept and tolerate black brown, yellow, red ….

July 3, 2015

For Muslims, Ramadan is the holiest month on their (lunar) calendar. It is a time when they give up “worldly” pleasures and devote their lives to God.

Our friends and colleagues are curious about what we do for thirty (30) days. There is no mystery. Here are some of our practices during the Ramadan:

Fasting (Saum): Fasting begins one hour and half before Sunrise and ends at sunset. We follow the lunar calendar and this year the times are approx. from 4:00 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. Yes, it’s a long day (16 & 1/2 hours) without food or water. However, it is not food, but Faith in God that gives strength to the Fasting person.

Prayer (Salaat): We pray five times per day –before sunrise, midday, late afternoon, sunset, and evening. Men go to mosque, women pray at home, or mosque.

Quran: Read the Quran, learn the Quran, use it as guidance in our daily lives.

Charity (Zakaat): We give at least 2 & 1/2% of our income/wealth to the poor. From a socio-economic point of view, giving Zakaat helps maintain a financial balance in society. Those who are able (and willing) give to the less fortunate, the orphans and the widows. However, Zakaat is not only giving money. Any act of kindness, e.g. teaching a child to read, helping someone cross the street, giving someone a meal, helping a sick person, a smile, a kind word, are all considered acts of charity.

Muslims pray for their own souls, but they Fast for God. One can fake prayers (to show off) but one can not fake Fasting. In addition, in Ramadan one prays to God for Mercy, Forgiveness and to be Spared the Fire of Hell. One also prays for their parents, children and siblings.

It is written that in the Month of Ramadan, God would not deny a Fasting person that which he asks for.

The Holy Month of Ramadan is the best of times for practicing Muslims. Yes, there is work, and chores, and the days are long, but it is a time when we talk to God, ask him for stuff, thank him for stuff, and we are at peace with ourselves.

God wants us to love him best, even more than ourselves; and our Prophet even better than ourselves. And in Ramadan we certainly do love them more.

June 29, 2015

Are babies born racist? Are they taught prejudice at their parents’ knees?

Children live what they learn. Therefore, it is quite possible that young Dylan had a decent education on hate and prejudice at home as he was growing up.

It is quite possible to teach your children to love and respect their classmates, neighbours, and members of the community, and still have them turn out as white supremacist. If so, you can console yourself with the thought that you made the child, not his mind.

Dylan’s parents are probably confused and devastated by his beliefs and crimes. But one wonders about the kinds of conversation they had at home as a family when he was growing up.

The history of South Carolina with reference to slavery and their fight to maintain the apartheid status quo is dark, dismal and inhuman. How can people pretend to be Christians and live the beliefs of oppression and exploitation? How can they worship the confederacy flag, subscribe to HH and call themselves Christians?

Back to Dylan! It is one theory that children learn racism and prejudice – to hate other people because they are different – at home. Where, when and how this young man learned to be a white supremacist is sad and a defeatist way to look at the world around him.

For all the young white supremacist Dylans out there, there are three points worth considering. One – Dylan’s days are over. Two – are white supremacists Christians? Three – how many Dylans are roaming the streets waiting to strike? That’s the scary part.

Racism, hate, prejudice, bigotry, oppression, exploitation are not about to go away. Perhaps it never will. Certainly not while people in the south still worship their confederate flag. However, they should not call themselves Christians because the Bible teaches love, tolerance, and respect, and not the ideology they practice.

And if they want the next generations to practice less hate and more love then parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles must begin the conversations at home. Home is where children learn to love, tolerate and respect their class mates, neighbours and the people with whom they share the world.

June 24, 2015

From a historical point of view, and for centuries now, the people of Africa have been persecuted, enslaved, colonialized, divided by tribe and conquered, and their lands raped and plundered of every bit of natural resources.

Who committed these crimes? The white European imperialists and colonializers!

The enslaved Africans that were kidnapped and shipped to America have been persecuted as old as America is. No American laws on paper have saved them or changed their lives.

White supremacist institutional racism and prejudice is so ingrained in our society that it is almost “normal” for white people / law enforcement to shoot black people without a second thought.

What we are seeing today- the massacre of black people by white supremacists – is nothing new. This has been going on – always.

What is new is the fact that social media has exposed this crime against black people and the citizens in American – and the globe – can no longer deny these crimes when they are recorded and posted for the world to bear witness.

And who are committing these crimes? The white supremacist immigrants from Europe who imperialized and colonialized Africa!

Now suddenly we have a new slogan: Black Lives Matter! Well, really! Since when did black lives matter? This is a meaningless phrase!

The same “white is superior” mentally that persecuted and plundered the African Continent (and persecuted the Jews and are now slaughtering Muslims) is still at work here on American soil. And it will be a long time before “Black Lives Matter” on American soil.

And you Africans on American soil, if you believe that meaningless slogan about black lives matter, then you are more gullible than I thought.

June 19, 2015

Those nine people died because their skin is dark. All over the country, from the White House to the black holes, people are observing a moment of silence.

Who cares about these moments of silence? Certainly not the dead! Why aren’t the public observers of silence – congress, supreme court, governors, mayors, politicians, et al) screaming about gun control, white supremacy racism that is eating the soul of this country, domestic terrorism that is slowly imprisoning scared people in their own homes.

Can’t the people in charge of this country see that slowly we the citizens are forced to self-imposed confinement indoors? We may as well move to Gaza.

We are not safe in schools, theatres, temples, churches, mosques, colleges, shopping malls, parks, streets and in our own homes.

When are law makers going to face the fact that there are too many guns in the wrong hands? And used for the wrong purposes? How many more people must die before people become more important than gun sales?

A young man has no education, no job, no driver’s license, but he has a gun, ammunition and enough hate in his heart to kill nine worshippers.

Thanks to his gun, he also has no future.

Racism is so ingrained in the souls of white supremacists that guns in their hands are permission to kill.

How many more people must die before we scream gun control, racism, terrorism? After all, death is silence – they don’t need a moment of it!

June 17, 2015

This is a deep, stinging indictment of the education system from a teacher’s point of view.

The Other Side of Teaching, by Evelyn Uddin-Khan, is an emotional look at the trenches of education from a veteran teacher.

Uddin-Khan has a doctorate in comparative and international education, lending her book a broad perspective and deep insight, but the heart of her understanding is intensely personal.

The book examines teaching conditions, internal and external politics, and the shifting balance of power in education. The first two parts of the book share stories from her teaching experience. The third part discusses policy problems specifically, but her experience is critical to her insights. The fourth part gives the author’s view of the positives of the teaching profession, such as the students themselves and friendships with other teachers.

It’s clear through her sincerity and intensity that Uddin-Khan loves teaching and students. But the depth of her love makes her hurt deeper. After years of service, being essentially demoted made her feel like a commodity to the school system—a system that she already felt didn’t give teachers their due respect. Her pain and anger are quite understandable, but at times they overshadow the ideas she wants to present.

Her discussion of policy and problems with the system is best suited for those who have a relatively good grasp of the education system: She begins, “It is obvious that education policy in its present form is excluding the majority of poor and middle-income children from receiving the education they deserve.” For some teachers, parents, and concerned citizens, Uddin-Khan’s ire will fuel desire for change.

But those unfamiliar with the day-to-day realities of the teaching profession will find her experience eye-opening and even shocking (such as how verbal and physical abuse from students goes unaddressed by administration and parents), prompting the question, “It can’t possibly be that bad, right?”—a question that Uddin-Khan hopes will encourage people to take a deeper look at education.

The cover and back panel copy don’t fully show how personal and emotional the book is. They set a more academic expectation that may make Uddin-Khan’s earnest and sometimes angry voice jarring. The Other Side of Teaching is an inside look at the education system through one teacher’s tell-all point of view.